Exercise: Grab a photo, any photo. This can be a picture of you at the beach. It can be of a hike you took at Yellowstone. It can be a picture of your birthday party. Or it can be a simple picture of you and a friend.

Now, for 15 minutes, write everything you can about his photo: who’s in it, where does the picture take place, what smells do you remember from when this photo was taken, why did you take the photo, etc.

Goal: Get yourself thinking about the storybooking process. Storybooking is not only about preserving photos, it’s about preserving the whole memory. And without the words, the pictures don’t mean anything to the reader.

Organize all of the information you need to tell your stories. Heritage Makers makes it easy for you to write and publish all of your stories! Our story maps help you plan your storybook from cover to cover. Use our maps as a template and answer the questions provided or create your own questions. You’ll find interview questions, photo suggestions, and even writing tips!Life event storiesLife Story